The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. It was the former Imperial Palace for the Ming and Qing emperors. It was first built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, while the Qing Emperors stayed here after entering Beijing. Altogether, 24 emperors lived and conducted state affairs in the Forbidden City for 491 years (1420 ~ 1911). Fourteen of them were Ming emperors, and 10 were Qing emperors.
The Forbidden City is the best-preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. It is the largest piece of ancient Chinese architecture still in existence today, and it shows the great Chinese civilization and priceless culture created in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
